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Friday, August 17, 2012

Mix n Match Manicure Designs

These patterns are great to mix and match together. You might choose just one or two designs, or you could try all 5 of them like I did in the above photo. They were fairly easy to do and turned out really neat. What do you think?

The first step to painting any nail is applying a base coat as I did in the picture above; by doing this, you will protect your nail as over time it may yellow due to the dying effects of nail polish. Another bonus is that it can help extend the life of your manicure. Any base coat, nail strengthener/protector, or clear polish will work just fine, but I chose this one by Revlon because as the name implies, it dries fast. And who wants to wait 20 minutes just to start painting?

Then, you will apply a few coats of any color to your nails. You can alternate, do all one color, or apply a different color to each hand as I did. I chose NYC Long Wearing polish in Times Square Tangerine Cream (orange) and Fuchsia Shock Creme (pink). After letting these coats dry, you will need to choose a color/colors to create the designs with. In order for the patterns to pop, pick a polish that will stand out as different from your base color/s. I chose Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Black Out (see below for finished nails).

How to replicate these designs:

Thumb- apply small dots of paint with a fine brush, nail art pen/paint, or toothpick

First finger- paint a small triangle at the tip of your nail facing down with the point in the center of the nail; then paint another triangle at the base whose tip will touch the other tip in the center of your nail

Middle finger- with your accent color, brush from the center of the nail to the tip and move from side to side in order to cover the whole upper half of the nail

Ring finger- for this one, you will need to paint one of the upper corners of your nail; then remove excess paint from the brush, but leave a little bit on; you will use that brush to "blot" on small "blobs" of paint at the edge of your painted area; this is what creates that splattered edge look

Pinky- using your brush, draw thin stripes along your nail; I did vertical ones, but you could also try horizontal stripes as well

After you have finished the designs and allowed your nails to dry, you should add a top coat or a coat of clear polish to further protect and add shine to your mani.